1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to computer networks, such as the Internet. More specifically, this invention relates to a mechanism and method for allowing a user to alter the appearance of portions of a web page.
2. Background Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely sophisticated devices, and computer systems may be found in many different settings. The widespread proliferation of computers prompted the development of computer networks that allow computers to communicate with each other. With the introduction of the personal computer (PC), computing became accessible to large numbers of people. Networks for personal computers were developed that allow individual users to communicate with each other. In this manner, a large number of people within a company could communicate with other computers on the network.
One significant computer network that has recently become very popular is the Internet. The Internet grew out of this proliferation of computers and networks, and has evolved into a sophisticated worldwide network of computer system resources commonly known as the "world-wide-web", or WWW. A user at an individual PC (i.e., workstation) that wishes to access the Internet typically does so using a software application known as a web browser. A web browser makes a connection via the Internet to other computers known as web servers, and receives information from the web servers that is displayed on the user's workstation. Information transmitted from the web server to the web browser is generally formatted using a specialized language called Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and is typically organized into pages known as web pages. Many web pages include several individual components, such as text, banners, graphical images, Java applets, audio links, video links, and other components that present the web page to the user in a desired way. A designer of a web page can select a unique combination of components to provide the user with a desired overall presentation of the web page.
The Internet has become a very popular medium for promoting the goods and services of a wide array of companies. Advertisements and other promotional items are often placed on web pages in an attempt to influence the user to buy certain products or to request information regarding products and services. These promotional items are typically web page components. Some of these promotional components may be static, such as a text block or banner. Others may provide different degrees of motion or animation in an attempt to catch the user's eye. However, too much motion or animation may prove to annoy rather than attract the user.
Known web browsers allow a user only a small amount of control over the presentation of a web page. For example, Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.0 gives a user setup options that allow the user to turn off the downloading of picture, sound, or video components to speed up the speed of loading a web page. However, the user control is limited to enabling or disabling each of these types of components. If the user decided to load these portions of a web page, they will be presented in only one way.
As the number of Internet users, providers, and web servers continues to rapidly expand, it will become increasingly important for a web user to be able to have more control over the presentation of a web page. Without improvements that give the user more control over information presented on a web page, the computer industry will continue to suffer from current methods of displaying web pages that are an impediment to achieving a presentation of a web page that is most desirable for the user.